Groceries Less Than 100 Week Family of 5
six Min Read | Aug 26, 2021
What if you could feed a family of five for $100 a week?
That's exactly what Chris and Lydia are doing, cheers to their decision to live on a single income in northern California! And while sunny California is a beautiful place to be, the cost of living is loftier and the taxes are fifty-fifty higher. "You well-nigh have to have 2 working spouses contributing to the household income," Chris said.
But when he and Lydia started talking about the possibility of having children, they decided they wanted to notice a manner to go far piece of work. "Information technology's one of the reasons nosotros sold our home," he said. "We couldn't afford our payment because it was nigh half of our combined monthly income at the time."
Now, thanks to a lot of hard work, they're happily living on just i income and have three cute children, ages 4, 3, and 5 months. "It was right nearly the time nosotros started using EveryDollar that we were able to actually hone in on our expenses and income and decide whether it would be financially possible for her to stay home," Chris said.
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Ane style they achieved their goal was past laser focusing on their grocery budget. Five mouths are a lot to feed, especially because the average family unit of four in America spends anywhere from $564 to $one,288 a calendar month on groceries.1
"We used to circle around the grocery shop and buy whatever nosotros wanted—commonly while we were hungry. The corporeality nosotros were spending was astronomical."
Even though there are five of them—3 being small-scale, growing children, no less—Chris and Lydia only spend $400 a calendar month on food. That's only $100 a week.
"Nosotros used to circle effectually the grocery store and buy whatever we wanted—unremarkably while we were hungry. The amount we were spending was astronomical," Chris explained. They weren't paying much attention to where they shopped. "And different grocery stores can accuse 2 or iii times the price for the aforementioned production."
But there's more than to their budget savvy than shopping around and finding the everyman prices.
How They Saved on Groceries
"Once nosotros narrowed our shopping downwards to a depression-price grocery store, my wife really broke down our $100 a week into specific subcategories," Chris explained. They had a certain amount they could spend on meat, vegetables and canned goods, for example.
Consider fruits and vegetables. "Say nosotros have $15 to spend on fruit. Nosotros become to the store and look at whatever fruit fits within that budget limit. That fashion nosotros aren't limited to just buying strawberries every single time."
This allows them to modify parts of their grocery list based on what's in flavour and on auction.
They besides pay a lot of attention to where the majority of their grocery money goes. And once they spot those pain points, they tin brand changes accordingly.
"Nosotros used to buy a ton of cereal," he said. "Information technology price us similar $30 a week. So we decided we're going to consume oatmeal at present instead. That took out a huge chunk of spending for the states because oatmeal is just so cheap. And we can add fruit in it, and it tastes great!"
It'southward become a bit of a game too.
"All the cashiers are in it with u.s. now because they know we're trying to stay under $100 a week," he said. "They get all excited when we're inching toward $85 or $92. The closer we go to that $100 mark, the more they start freaking out. It'south really an run a risk when we go grocery shopping now."
In addition to focusing on how much they spend, they're likewise diligent about planning their meals each week to make sure they're getting the virtually employ out of their hard-earned greenbacks. "Treat it simply like the budget. You have to accept a plan for everything yous're doing, or else you will merely waste coin," he said. "Without a plan, stuff just happens."
Chris is also working hard to increment their income.
When they first began talking about starting a family, they quickly realized they needed to showtime budgeting since they wanted to make the transition to one income.
In order to bump upward his income, Chris focused on investing in his education, working hard at his job, and seeking promotions whenever possible. "Those things enabled me to get from $40,000 a year to $75,000 a year," he said.
He stayed with the same job the whole time too. "Working in authorities, you basically go a five% pay increase every year," Chris explained. "So starting at $twoscore,000, it would have been impossible to go ahead without getting promotions."
He started studying for his CPA and continues to stay motivated. Their current goal is to make $100,000 a year as soon as possible—and they're pretty close to striking the mark!
"Nosotros likewise started going to thrift stores and garage sales to buy things to sell on eBay," he said. It's go a fun family unit activeness. Chris and Lydia volition pack upwards the kids, head out on the weekends, and let them pick out things they want to sell besides. "It's great because in California the weather is so nice," he said.
They don't always score big. They often buy things for a dollar or two and sell them for $5 or $6. "But sometimes nosotros go actually lucky and the margins are just massive," Chris said. "Nigh of the time nosotros make a 300–400% turnaround, even including shipping costs."
No thing how they're doing it, it'south definitely helping them increment their take-habitation pay and scoot closer to their yearly income goal. "It provides about $15,000 a year for us right now," Chris said.
They credit a lot of their success to the fact they don't take debt—and that they alive on a budget.
"Most of the people we come in contact with on a daily basis alive through debt. And they feel like the only mode they can achieve what they want is past existence in debt."
Just Chris and his family don't feel similar they're missing out. They eat well, travel, and get to spend a lot of quality time together. In fact, they even just returned from a trip to Disneyland—and paid for the unabridged vacation in cash because they're able to save about $one,200 a month now that they're purposefully telling their money where to get.
"We're doing so much without debt," Chris said. "And information technology'due south only getting more powerful and more joyful with the more money we make—and the more liberty we have to use that coin."
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Ramsey Solutions
Source: https://www.ramseysolutions.com/budgeting/this-family-feeds-five-for-100
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